In 1905 New York, Esther, a Black seamstress, lives in a boarding house for women, and sews intimate apparel for clients who range from wealthy white patrons to prostitutes. One by one, the other denizens of the boarding house marry and move away, but Esther remains, lonely and longing for a husband and a future. Her plan is to find the right man and use the money she's saved to open a beauty parlor where black women will be treated as royally as the white women for whom she sews.

Winner of the 2004 New York Drama Critics Circle and the Outer Critics Circle Awards.

"…a deeply moving portrait of Esther, a middle-aged African-American woman…Nottage's play has a delicacy and eloquence that seem absolutely right for the time she is depicting…” - Variety